VANCOUVER, April ⁠30 (Reuters) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday ⁠that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth ‌term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.

Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the ​closing moments of the FIFA Congress ⁠in Vancouver, which comes ⁠less than two months before the start of the World Cup.

The ⁠election ‌will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World ⁠Cup.

Infantino said he was "honoured and humbled" to have ​the chance ‌to run for a fourth term.

The Italian-Swiss took office ⁠in 2016, replacing ​Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.

Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his ⁠tenure, with this year's World Cup in ​North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women's tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.

Infantino's ⁠tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump ​at the World Cup draw in ⁠December.

Earlier this month, the council of South American football's governing ​body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it ‌would unanimously support the 56-year old ​if he decided to seek another term.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Ken Ferris and Clare Fallon)